


Stars

by LiagibaSiYseehc



Series: The Prime and His Soldier [2]
Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Human/Transformer Relationships (Transformers), Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:34:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24109816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiagibaSiYseehc/pseuds/LiagibaSiYseehc
Summary: For the first time in a million stellar cycles, Optimus Prime smiled
Relationships: Optimus Prime/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Prime and His Soldier [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652653
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I envisioned this scene happening rather early on in their relationship as I was writing it. I pictured it around two to three weeks after [_Truth or Dare_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22995748). Still not certain whether this comes first or [_Just a Little Tipsy_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23038357), but it definitely comes before [_One Last Farewell_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23008951) and [_Introductions_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23713378) :)

The night sky of Diego Garcia had always been beautiful. Being relatively isolated from other forms of civilization, it provided them with a clear, unobstructed view of the stars, which shimmered and twinkled faintly in the background.

Not that Riley was paying much attention to the stars at that moment. She couldn't be, not when something- _someone_ a lot more magnificent was right in front of her.

Optimus Prime was a spectacle to behold, even when doing something as simple as _standing_. Pale moonlight showered upon his armour as he stood, silent and stoic, calmly gazing into the far distance. His shadow stretched across the grass, not the least bit intimidating despite its size, for the figure it resembled was both familiar and reassuring, promising safety and protection.

Though Riley had no doubts that Optimus already knew she was there- highly sensitive war-trained sensors, as well as millions of years of experience, ensured that no one could sneak up on Optimus without him knowing, he made no move to acknowledge her presence yet, continuing to stand with his servos clasped behind his back as he surveyed the horizon. The scene was so peaceful and quiet that Riley felt bad for intruding on such a private moment.

Then he turned to look at her and _oh gosh_ , the moonlight danced across his armour as he moved and _he was so beautiful that she could cry_.

"I have always enjoyed coming here to, as humans say, clear my thoughts," his optics glowed the way they did when he was satisfied or happy- brighter than normal, but the light they emitted was a deeper azure instead of a harsh icy blue like when he was angry, "I find the silence soothing and refreshing."

There were no words she could say that could truly articulate what she was feeling at the moment, so she let her actions speak for herself, walking over to him and letting him pick her up. A few seconds later she was sitting snugly in her little perch on Optimus's servo, leaning back against the thumb digit that curved around her waist, preventing her from falling to her death. Not that she was at all worried. She trusted Optimus with her life.

"The planet Venus is visible to the human eye tonight," Optimus told her softly. His voice seemed to seep straight into her bones and make them vibrate as he spoke, "If that is your wish, I can show it to you."

She nodded wordlessly, mainly because she seemed to have forgotten how to speak. How does one cope when they find themselves the centre of attention of a being so powerful and important and wise, yet at the same time so gentle and humble?

With the care of someone handling a piece of priceless china, he slowly raised her to optic level before gingerly guiding her head in the right direction. Warm, living metal digits capable of crushing steel gently caressed her cheek as she leaned into them without fear, peering curiously into the night sky.

"I don't see it," she confessed a few seconds later, glancing at Optimus sheepishly. His gaze warmed minutely and he raised his free servo, pointing towards a bright dot in the atmosphere.

" _Oh_ ," she breathed, following his digit, "I thought that was a star."

"An understandable mistake. You are untrained in the astronomical field,"

For a while, they stayed in companionable silence.

"Did you know," Optimus said suddenly, "that Venus was named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty?"

His optics found hers, "An apt coincidence, is it not?"

She flushed. For an alien who has had no experience whatsoever in human romance, Optimus was giving most men a run for their money.

" _You're_ beautiful," she whispered finally, lifting her hand- her minuscule, insignificant hand- and running it down the bridge of his nose.

Blue light bathed her as Optimus's optics flared even brighter. Anybody else in her place would be scared, but she knew from the way his lower optic lids crinkled upwards that this was his version of a smile.

"As are you," he replied. Then he made a low rumbling sound that lasted for roughly three seconds, occasionally punctuated by soft clicks of varying pitches. It ended with a mechanical whirring not dissimilar to a gentle purr. Riley instantly knew that the sound's origin was not of this planet.

"What does it mean?" she asked, watching Optimus blink as if surprised by her question. _No one has ever asked him for a translation before_ , she realized.

"The phrase of which I have uttered is a… term of endearment in our language," he sounded tentative, almost hesitant.

Was it just her, or was Optimus _embarrassed_?

"An approximate translation would be 'my beloved one'," he continued, "it suggests that your spark- _you_ , are beloved above all."

Riley's breath caught in her throat.

"Say it again," she pleaded, and Optimus did, staring straight into her eyes and chasing away any doubt that he might have meant it for anyone else.

Time froze, and everything else faded away. Trivial. Unimportant. All that's left is her. And Optimus.

Optimus, Optimus was like a star. Ageless and eternal, shining with infinite wisdom, and absolutely _breathtaking_ to look at. Powerful, awe-inspiring and magnificent, bringing light and warmth through his leadership and courage. Optimus was a star. A star that _loved her_.

A star that she loved back.

Then she blinked and the spell ended, the enchantment lifting and expelling them back into the real world.

"You should rest,"

She was about to reply but was cut off by a yawn. Covering her mouth with a hand, she nodded in submission and, in a moment of mischievousness, curled up in his servo, falling asleep under a haze of warmth and fuzziness.

Optimus froze, unable to believe it when his scanners informed him the femme was asleep. _ASLEEP_. Riley Brown was held by a titan to her kind, suspended thirty feet into the air and she was _asleep_.

If Optimus had had any doubts about Riley's trust in him, they were all vanquished the instance his scanners detected Riley entering the first stage of sleep.

As he observed the sleeping human, Optimus could not stop himself from reaching out and stroking the delicate creature that had long since stolen his spark.

" _You-who-are-beloved-above-all-sparks_ ," he rumbled gently at her sleeping form in his native tongue, " _I-protect-guard-keepsafe-forever-swearonspark_."

He drew back, afraid that his actions might have startled the human back into wakefulness, ending the perfect display of vulnerability curled up ever so trustingly in his servo.

_Riley smiled in her sleep._

For the umpteenth time that night, his spark swelled with affection and love in its chamber, threatening to burst from the onslaught of emotions the one, simple act had brought. Something that had become a regular occurrence ever since he met Riley.

Riley. It was amazing how an organism comprising mainly of water and repeating units of protein could be so _alive_ , could bring so much light to his life.

Riley was like a star, Optimus realized. A flash of brilliance, then forever gone from the universe. Humans, he understood, did not live for long. Yet the shortest living stars always shone the brightest, stunning countless civilizations with their beauty. Yes, Riley was a star. Her life was a flash compared to his, yet that flash, momentary as it was, had lit up his entire existence.

Optimus looked down at the young star he cradled in his servos. A beacon of light, of hope, of happiness, that he was lucky enough to encounter and love.

For the first time in a million stellar cycles, Optimus Prime smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos to [Arabis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arabis/pseuds/arabis) fans who noticed the [Signature](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560772) reference :D
> 
> Arabis, if you don’t like the sound I associated with your glyph, I completely understand. Just tell me, and I’ll delete that line :)


End file.
